God saves by His Word | Pr Raph | Nov. 9, 25

God Saves by His word

Video Intro:

Salvation comes through hearing and believing the Word of Christ. Hebrews reminds us to pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away. The same Word that once spoke creation into being now speaks new creation into every heart that believes. God no longer speaks through shadows or symbols but through His Son, whose voice carries grace, truth, and life. When received with faith, this Word brings salvation, for it is both the message and the means through which God’s power works in us.

What once could take months to manifest now happens in moments, because Christ has torn the veil and opened direct access to God. The Word that saves also transforms, releasing signs, wonders, and miracles that testify that Jesus is alive and His covenant is real.

Through His death and resurrection, Jesus has forever silenced the fear of death. He became like us, took on our frailty, and by dying destroyed the one who held its power. His triumph was not just over death itself, but over the spirit of fear that once enslaved us. 

His authority is entrusted to the church. We live under the reign of grace, not condemnation. The same Word that raised Him from the grave now lives in us, empowering us to stand firm, resist darkness, and walk in victory. God is saving, healing, and restoring by His Word.

Miracles of the New Covenant

The book of Hebrews presents Jesus as far superior to all others: He is greater than the prophets, being God’s final and complete revelation (Hebrews 1:1–2); greater than the angels, as He is the Son whom they worship (Hebrews 1:4–6); greater than Moses, who was a servant, while Jesus is the Son over God’s house (Hebrews 3:1–6); greater than Joshua, offering a better, eternal rest (Hebrews 4:8–9); and greater than the earthly priests, being our perfect and eternal High Priest (Hebrews 4:14–15; 7:23–28). He brings a better covenant based on better promises (Hebrews 8:6–13), offers a perfect once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 9:12; 10:10–14), gives us confident access to God (Hebrews 4:16; 10:19–22), and is the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

I can’t continue this series unless I share our goal once more. Once we stand firm in what we have heard—the saving message of Jesus Christ—God Himself will confirm His Word in us. Just as He did in the early church, He will bear witness through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit. This witness is not only historical but present and powerful in the lives of those who hold fast to the gospel.

Hebrews 2:1–4 (ESV)1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

This passage reminds us that when we pay close attention to the message of salvation delivered by Christ and confirmed by the Holy Spirit, God Himself bears witness through supernatural confirmation—signs, wonders, miracles, and spiritual gifts.

Now consider Obed-Edom in 2 Samuel 6:10–12. When David was afraid to bring the ark of God into Jerusalem, he left it in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite: 

2 Samuel 6:11–12 (ESV) "11 And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household. 12 And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.”

In just three months, Obed-Edom experienced a visible, undeniable increase. God’s tangible presence in his home released miraculous provision and blessing. When we host the presence and honor the Word, we attract the activity of heaven.

But here’s the greater truth: we are under a better covenant (Hebrews 8:6). 

Hebrews 8:6 6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.

If Obed-Edom was blessed in three months under the shadow of the old covenant, how much more can we expect under the reality of the new? Jesus is the living Ark, and through the Holy Spirit, His presence now dwells in us.

Ephesians 3:20 (ESV)20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…

God is not just able—He’s willing to do more, faster, and deeper than ever before. What took Obed-Edom three months, God can now accomplish in three days—or even three moments—because the veil is torn and access is open.

I was sharing this with the couple that my wife and I had the chance to teach. If they are severed from one another, unable to even look each other in the eyes, maybe, for only three prayers together, three “I love you.” Three “I am sorry.” Only three is enough to bring the expected breakthrough.

So if we give place to God’s Word, honor His presence, and cling to the message we’ve heard—not drifting, but anchoring—we should expect:

Greater provision. Accelerated breakthroughs. Confirming signs from heaven. Miracles in motion. Gifts of the Spirit at work.

The readers and the angels.

In Hebrews 1–2, the author compares Jesus to the angels to affirm His absolute supremacy and correct any tendency among the first-century Jewish believers to exalt angels too highly or view Jesus as merely an exalted spiritual being. 

Hebrews 2:7-8 quotes Psalm 8.

Psalm 8:4–5 Hebrew (Literal Translation):

4 What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

5 You have made him a little lower than Elohim, and crowned him with glory and honor.

The Hebrew word “Elohim” is most often used for God, though it can refer to other spiritual beings depending on context. Jewish interpreters viewed Psalm 8 as describing the dignity and frailty of human beings in contrast to angels, and as highlighting Jesus as “lower than the angels,” as Hebrews does.

The Bible records numerous Old Testament accounts where angels played dramatic and powerful roles: an angel appeared to Abraham and Sarah to announce the birth of Isaac; angels visited Lot to rescue him from the judgment of Sodom; one appeared to Gideon while he hid in fear; and another visited Manoah, the father of Samson.

Angels were messengers of divine intervention, often delivering both guidance and judgment. One of the most striking examples is when King Hezekiah prayed for deliverance from Sennacherib, (Archiology Taylor Prism 1830) who had surrounded Jerusalem with a massive army. God responded by sending a single unnamed angel who, in one night, killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. 

(2 Kings 19:35“And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.”). 

Clearly, angels were seen as immensely powerful beings. This is why the first-century Jewish believers had such a high regard for them.

This comparison was especially important because many Jewish Christians may have been facing persecution or tension from unbelieving family members who held tightly to Old Testament traditions and could have argued that Jesus, being human and crucified, was inferior to angelic beings like those seen in the stories of Sinai, Daniel, or Ezekiel. 

Of course, Jesus is superior. In His return in power and glory, riding on a white horse as King of kings and Lord of lords. In the battle of Armageddon, where all the forces of evil gather to oppose Him. 

Revelation 9:16 16 The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number.

Referring to 200 million cavalry soldiers. When Jesus returns, He defeats them effortlessly by the sword that comes from His mouth. This ultimate display of supremacy echoes the message of Hebrews: no matter how mighty angels, armies, or rulers may be, Jesus reigns far above them all.

The Warning: The Knowledge of truth that leads to New Birth

To understand Hebrews 2 warning rightly, we must remember the original context. 

The church was and is made up of different kinds of people: those who were truly converted and born again, those who were in the process of being persuaded by the truth, and others who had heard the message and were walking away. In the context of Hebrews, they were returning to Judaism.

This is no small matter. For that final group, rejecting Christ after exposure to the gospel was spiritually dangerous.

The modern church often views conversion as a single moment—the raising of a hand, the repeating of a prayer—but in the New Testament context, conversion is better understood as a process of being persuaded, of progressively receiving the truth until the moment one is truly born again.

In the early 19th century, during the Second Great Awakening in the United States, revivalists began using large tent meetings and open-air gatherings to preach the gospel to crowds across the frontier. Evangelists like Charles Finney and later figures such as D.L. Moody emphasized emotional, personal responses to the gospel. By the mid-20th century, especially with preachers like Billy Graham, the “Sinner’s Prayer” became a widely used tool in these revivals—offered as a simple way for individuals to express repentance and faith in Christ. 

This prayer marked the visible moment of conversion for many and was often paired with altar calls, inviting people to step forward publicly. While not found explicitly in Scripture, the Sinner’s Prayer became a hallmark of American evangelicalism, emphasizing personal decision and immediate assurance of salvation through faith in Jesus.

For centuries, the traditional view within the historic church understood conversion as a gradual process. It often began with teaching someone the basic beliefs of the Christian faith, usually before baptism. It often includes learning about God, Jesus, the Bible, salvation, and how to live as a follower of Christ. That included repentance and spiritual formation, and culminated in baptism, public confession of faith, and lifelong discipleship.

In contrast, the revival movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, especially in American evangelicalism, introduced a more immediate model centered on the Sinner’s Prayer. Here, conversion was seen as a definitive, individual decision made in a single moment—often marked by an emotional response, a public altar call, and a spoken prayer. While this shift allowed for rapid evangelism and personal assurance, it departed from the older emphasis on sustained transformation and the communal nature of faith formation.

However, we must understand that being born again is not a process—it is a moment when the Holy Spirit regenerates a person, but that moment is the result of the process of coming to the knowledge of truth. 

It’s the difference between the progressive sunrise of understanding and the flick of a light switch.

There was a Catholic friend I had back in college who became really close to me. We had countless deep conversations about life, faith, and God. Over time, I invited him to my lifegroup, and he said yes. He started coming regularly. He listened carefully, joined in on the discussions, and even opened up about some of his own spiritual questions. Eventually, he agreed to attend one of our church’s encounter retreats. During worship, he’d sing. During ministry times, he was respectful, sometimes even visibly moved. He participated like someone who was genuinely searching. From the outside, it looked like everything was lining up for a moment of transformation. But even after all that—after hearing the gospel clearly and being surrounded by God’s presence—he never made that decision to surrender his life to Christ. I remember asking him gently one night, “What’s keeping you from giving your life to Jesus?” He looked at me with sincerity and said, “I believe in God. I believe in church. But I don’t think I need to be ‘born again’ like you say. I’ve always been religious.”

He had been around the truth, tasted it, felt it, but hadn’t yet truly believed it. He was close… but still outside. 

The people described in Hebrews—those who had heard, who had come near, but hadn’t yet crossed over into saving faith. Many had believed, but others were still in process, and some were falling away. This is why the author urgently calls them to hold fast to the truth, to keep listening, because salvation comes by hearing 

Romans 10:17 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Faith comes from present-tense listening. Paul says,

 “It pleased God through the foolishness of what we preach to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21). 

Through hearing, faith is born, and through faith, we are saved.

Listening is the best part.

In Luke 10:38–42, Jesus gently corrects Martha, saying Mary had chosen the better part—listening to His word. 

Luke 10:41-42 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Many people today love being active in ministry, always doing something, but never stopping to truly listen. Over time, this leads to burnout, resentment, and bitterness—just as it did for Martha. 

But salvation is not about our performance or ability to hold on—it is about Christ. Bring Christ back into your ministry, into your marriage, into your life.

God came to us in Jesus

Jesus became a man to solve what we never could—our separation from God. Unlike religion, which teaches that we must reach up to heaven through works or rituals, Christianity declares that heaven came down to us. We could never reach God, so He came to us in His Son. Salvation isn’t something we earn; it’s something Christ has finished. Hebrews 2:3 calls it “so great a salvation”—a gift from God, freely given to those who believe.

In Hebrews 2:5–18, we are given a powerful and layered revelation of five key aspects of Christ’s redemptive work—His incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, glorification, and exaltation.

First, in verse 9, Jesus took on human flesh, stepping into our frailty. We see His crucifixion: 

“…so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” 

He bore the penalty of sin on behalf of all.

His resurrection is implied in verses 10–11, where He is called the one who brings 

“many sons to glory” and is “not ashamed to call them brothers.”

 Christ rose from the dead to lead a new family of the redeemed.

Hebrews 2:12 tells us that in His resurrection, Jesus declared the name of the Father to His brothers. What name is that? Simply—Father. Throughout the Old Testament, God revealed Himself in many powerful ways: as Elohim the Creator (Gen. 1), El Shaddai the All-Sufficient One (Gen. 17), I AM to Moses (Ex. 3), and through redemptive names like Jehovah Jireh and Jehovah Rapha. Yet Jesus came to reveal a name that hadn’t been fully known: Father. 

In John 17:6, He says, “I have manifested your name…”—and in verse 11, He prays, “Holy Father… protect them by your name that you have given me.” 

“Father” is the fullest revelation of who God is to us—because within that name dwells all His power, love, and care.

No more fear of death

Through His death, Jesus disarmed the devil—the one who had the power of death—not by annihilating him, but by rendering him powerless.

Hebrews 2:14-15 14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

To practically apply the authority of Christ over the enemy—placing our feet on his neck as the Church—we must first understand our position and then act from that position.

Ephesians 2:6 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Spiritually, we are not under the enemy—we are above him.

Colossians 2:15 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

So His victory is complete. But just like Joshua, we must enter into that victory with a clear posture.

Joshua 10:24 24 And when they brought those kings out to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come near; put your feet on the necks of these kings.” Then they came near and put their feet on their necks.

Joshua told the leaders of Israel to put their feet on the necks of the defeated kings. We are called to take what Christ has already conquered and enforce it in our lives.

This begins by walking in the authority of the Word. When we declare the truth of what Christ has done—when we say, “In Jesus’ name, I resist this fear, this oppression, this lie”—we are placing our foot on the enemy’s neck.

James 4:7 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

But the resistance must come from submission to God’s truth, not just from emotions or religion. That means also refusing to agree with the devil’s accusations or to live under condemnation and condemning others.

Romans 8:1

…there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

In prayer, in worship, in proclaiming the promises of God, we are not begging for victory—we are enforcing Christ’s victory. We speak healing because Christ bore our sickness (Isaiah 53:5). We speak peace because He crushed the power of fear and death (Hebrews 2:14–15). And we speak life because the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us (Romans 8:11).

Putting our foot on the enemy’s neck means we stop tolerating what Jesus already defeated. We don’t fight for victory—we fight from victory.

We stand firm, we speak boldly, and we remain seated in the finished work of Christ. That’s how we apply His authority in real life.